Barack Obama's Friends

Sen Obama is an intelligent, articulate gentlemen with a Harvard pedigree in far left politics from the seamy underbelly of Chicago's Daley Machine. Two articles kelp paint a picture of Barack's career as an activist and Chicago insider by taking a look at those he associated with namely, Rezko, Ayers, Khalidi and Auchi. The first article is by John Batchelor for Human events and the other by Rick Moran for Pajamas Media, John looks at all four while Rick concentrates on Tony Rezko and has more at his home site, read them both.
From the Human Events piece:

What you need to measure about Barack Obama, a likely potent adversary for the presidency, is that while he is a politically junior and consciously liberal-voting member of the U.S. Senate, he is actually a veteran Chicago politician with a fertile record of surprising associations in controversial events well apart from his work in legislatures.

Some few of these associations from his years in Chicago law work and urban development, and from his career in the Springfield, Illinois senate, speak to the quality of his judgment and to the strength of his character. Four associations in particular go the heart of the inquiry ahead in order to ask and answer the fundamental questions about who is Barack Obama.

The story focuses on four astute men who have little in common other than Mr. Obama: Messrs Rezko, Ayers, Khalidi and Auchi. Finding facts about Mr. Obama's exchanges with this quartet creates much of what can be called a political profile of candidate Obama.

From Pajamas Media:

Do you feel lost and left out because when someone mentions “Rezko” you think it’s that company that makes frisbees? (Sorry, but you’re confusing “Wham-O” who make that backyard widow-maker “Slip ‘n Slide” with a political fixer who’s just plain slippery.)

Are you confused by the head spinning machinations of Barack Obama that allowed him to purchase a house worth $2.6 million (with a vacant lot next door that can be accessed only through the property where the house sits) for around $1.65 million? (Don’t worry, so is most of the press.)

Do you wonder why this “Agent of Change” and modern day prophet Barack Obama would have gotten himself involved with a man indicted for political corruption and fraud?

Well, allow me to clear things up for you. Following is a little primer on Rezko, Obama, and how Windy City politics can have its way even with new messiahs.
To set the stage, you have to remember that we’re talking about Chicago. This is “The City That Works.” No one disputes that. The question is who it “works” for. If you’re a member of the Democratic Machine, it works wonderfully.

John also makes this interesting observation at the end of his piece,"There is a flickering presidential campaign analogy from the 1970s while you, Mr. McCain, were detained in Hanoi -- while Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn were setting bombs, Mr. Rashidi was in the Mideast with the PLO, Mr. Auchi was in Baghdad with Saddam Hussein and Mr. Obama was eleven years old in Hawaii."